It's In His Kiss
by Kyonkyon01
Summary: This story is a short vignette that takes place after all the events of the anime. Kagome now lives in the Feudal Era, however instead of her relationship with Inuyasha going to the next level - she finds that a nice surprise may be waiting for her with a certain demon lord.


***Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the characters herein**.

Authors Note/Summary: I decided to do a little edit to this. Upon re-reading it, I decided that it could use a little more "ooomf" in certain areas, so I decided to go back and add some more description. I hope you like the slight change. Also, I thought perhaps I should give some insight to my frame of mind while writing this. This story is kind of meant to be a canon variation. All the events of the anime have taken place (Naraku is defeated, Sesshoumaru has two arms, etc). However, instead of Kagome ending up with Inuyasha, I left things a little more...open ended. I wanted the feeling to be that this occurs sometime after her return. Everyone's a little older, Kagome has blossomed and matured to a strong miko and she is now peacefully acclimated to life in the Feudal Era on her own. Life is good and she is content. Of course, Kagome being Kagome, she has inevitably formed relationships and a mutual respect with the people around her. Even those of the tall, silver haired and stoic variety. hehe ^_^

Enjoy!

**It's in His Kiss**

**By Kyon Kyon**

Kagome sat in the tall grass of the field. The ground was warm from the hot summer sun and the rhythmic chirping of the cicadas had lulled the young miko into a lazy kind of tranquility. Leaning back on one hand she softly ran the other over the tops of the grass blooms. Slow moving clouds cast the occasional shadowy patch over the field and she watched them drift by before disappearing into the tree line of the forest. She sat soaking in the serenity of her surroundings, only half aware of the playful shouts and scampering noises of Shippo and Rin in the background. The children were currently playing "Jungle Cat", a game in which one of them would hide in the tall grass while the other would do their best to sneak up and pounce, taking the victim by surprise. Of course, they often forgot to actually _stalk_ each other and the game quickly turned into one of simply chasing each other around the meadow.

Butterflies flitted back and forth, settling on one patch of wild flowers before floating to another. Kagome watched one go by with half-hooded eyes and smiled peacefully before sitting up and stretching. She breathed in deeply. The scent of warm soil, perfumed flowers and the wheaty scent of grass cleared her mind of the haze that had settled over her on this lovely summer afternoon.

Sitting up fully she watched as a tall figure approached the rambunctious children. She wasn't alarmed by the appearance of this newcomer, for she knew the taiyoukai well. She had felt him on the opposite side of the field silently standing guard. Their youki and reiki hummed softly out into the forest warding off any creatures that might do their young charges harm.

Sesshoumaru's white silk clothing and long silver hair rustled in the soft breeze. He murmured lowly and she smiled in amusement as the youngsters immediately stopped what they were doing and ran over to his side. Their bright faces beamed up at him in admiration, eagerly awaiting his instructions.

She saw him point to Rin and then to a tall patch of grass and he conversely turned to Shippo, shuffling him off towards the forest. It seemed the stoic demon had found their previous stalking attempts to be unsatisfactory and they were now about to receive a proper lesson on hunting techniques. Kagome leaned forward with interest.

"_Well_ _this should be adorable_." She thought gleefully to herself.

Rin quickly trotted off and disappeared into the grass. Once satisfied that she was properly hidden, Sesshoumaru turned and walked to the young kit who still waited eagerly at the edge of the forest. Kagome watched as he gracefully kneeled down and started giving instructions to her adopted son. Sesshoumaru would gesture and Shippo would crouch low into a hunting position. Sesshoumaru would murmur something and Shippo would sniff the air delicately a moment later. Although Kagome couldn't hear them, she knew her little kit was doing exactly what he was told and it warmed her heart to see him emulating the older demon in such a way.

After the brief tutorial was over, Sesshoumaru gave a final nod signaling that Shippo may proceed with the hunt. The little fox darted off on all fours and leaped into the grass. Silence fell over the clearing as the two adults watched in anticipation.

A moment later there was a great rustling about 10 yards out and a child-like war cry was heard. It was immediately followed by an excited, girlish shriek before the two children came tumbling out of the grass in a flurry of fur, hair and laughter.

When the commotion ceased, it was Rin who stood victorious as she pinned the little fox demon to the ground.

"I win, Shippo-chan!" she chirped merrily before helping her playmate up off the ground.

Wiping at the grass stains that now adorned his hakama, a little pout overtook his features.

"Keh, I went easy on you because you're a girl."

Kagome laughed and got up, dusting off her pale pink yukata. She walked over to the group deciding it was time she threw in a little lesson of her own.

"Now Shippo," she admonished. "That's just sour grapes. Don't you remember what I told you about good sportsmanship?" Her voice was slightly reproachful, but mostly playful. It always amazed her that a little boy like him could carry such man-sized pride. She knew his words were mostly from embarrassment.

"Yes, momma." Shippo sighed. "You said that what matters is that you do your best and you should congratulate the other person on a job well done."

"That's right. So isn't there something you want to say to Rin-chan?"

He turned bashfully to the little girl who still stood beaming from her victory.

"Good job Rin-chan. You really are good at tackling."

Rin gave him a toothy grin.

"Thank you Shippo-kun. You're really good at stalking! I didn't even hear you coming until you were already jumping at me!"

Shippo puffed up at her praise, his wounded pride now sufficiently assuaged.

"Well if you think that's good, than you should see me in action! Come on, I'll show you how it's done!"

And with that, the two scampered off into the meadow again, excited giggles trailing behind them.

Kagome glanced up at the taiyoukai standing next to her. His sharp eyes followed the children as they disappeared into the grass yet again. She smiled at the glow she saw in them. He was obviously proud that his young ward had come out the winner in his little training exercise.

Looking back out at the field she sighed contentedly and crossed her arms.

"Kids." She said with a shrug, the one word acting as an all-purpose explanation for their antics.

"Hnn." Was his singular reply. He looked down at the small woman next to him. She really did have an interesting way of dealing with the children. He often found himself befuddled by her unusual colloquialisms and moral lessons, but yet he found that they were always quite effective. For whatever reason, he could never quite help himself from inquiring about the meaning behind her strange phrases. Her most recent one was no exception.

"Sour grapes, miko?" He asked, his voice not completely hiding the curious amusement he felt.

"Hmm?" She asked, momentarily forgetting what he was referring to. "Oh yeah! It's a well-known fable from my time. It's about a hungry fox who comes across a tall grape vine growing over an archway. A nice big cluster is growing right at the top and he tries and he tries to reach the juicy grapes, only to fail at reaching them every single time. After trying so hard in vain, the fox finally gives up and says 'The grapes are sour and not as ripe as I wanted'. It's basically a lesson to show how foolish it is to pout and disparage something, just because you didn't get it. It's supposed to be a parable...but I think Shippo mainly likes it because there's a fox in it."

She smiled at him and dropped her hands down to her side. As she did so, her knuckles accidentally grazed the back of his hand, the brief contact sending a rush of warmth all over her body. Blushing, she quickly pulled her hand away and muttered an apology.

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to bump you." She quickly looked up at the sky nonchalantly to mask her embarrassment.

Sesshoumaru smirked as he took in the flushed face of the little woman before him. She really was quite pretty when she blushed.

"Hnn." He said, looking back out at the field. "It is an interesting story, miko."

He continued to watch her from the corner of his eye and noted that she continued to avoid his gaze at all costs. A smile tilted the corner of his mouth as he continued.

"I agree that is foolish to disparage something one wants, but cannot attain."

He turned slightly to her, the movement catching her attention.

"However, there is something I disagree with."

She turned to face him, her curiosity causing her to forget her previous embarrassment.

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama? What would that be?"

When she faced him fully, she couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her at what she saw. The look he gave her was calm, but smoldering beneath his golden eyes was an intensity that she had never seen before. Her heart rate quickened to a giddy pace.

Not saying a word, he slowly moved his hand so that his knuckles grazed hers once more. Locked in each other's gaze he gently enveloped her petite appendage in his much larger one. Her hand felt warm and delicate, like a little bird fluttering anxiously in his claws. Her stormy blue eyes glazed over in a sort of hypnotized disbelief. All she could see was gold fire and all she could feel was the warm roughness of his hand against hers.

Trying desperately to collect her rapidly fraying wits, she swallowed thickly and repeated her question in a dazed, breathless voice.

"W-what don't you agree with..."

He reached up and gently touched her face, brushing away a silky lock of black hair before answering in a deep, rumbling tone.

"I believe, that if at first you do not attain what you desire...you should never give up until it is yours."

Kagome's heart pounded furiously in her chest as he closed the distance between them. Her free hand came up to his chest, the gesture simultaneously keeping him away and begging him to come closer. He had not worn his armor that day, she noted distractedly. He had taken it off for Jaken to polish. The absence allowed her to feel his body heat radiating through the thick layers of silk.

He was now only inches away, his breath ghosting over her lips in a teasing caress. She felt a thrill wash over her as he whispered her name.

"_Kagome_..."

In the space of a heartbeat, his warm mouth was pressed passionately against hers.

Kagome's eyes fluttered blissfully before closing shut. His lips were surprisingly soft, yet they were firm and confident in the way the moved against hers. She felt them gently coaxing her mouth open and instinctually their tongues brushed against each others. Kagome let out a soft sigh at the sensation. He tasted clean and he smelled oh so good. Kagome couldn't quite place what it was, but it was lovely. He smelled like the woods, but also a deeper rich smell almost like vanilla. Her small hand fisted into his haori and she could feel his grip tightening on her. The palm that had previously held her hand had now moved to the small of her back pressing firmly against her, drawing their bodies even closer together.

Sesshoumaru marveled at how small she felt pressed up against him. Her free hand found its way up his neck and brushed against his earlobe softly. He tensed at the gentle caress and the urgency to be near her burned through him all the more. Her lips were supple and yielding and her smell invaded his senses. She always smelled nice, like lychee and sugar...but now, at this proximity it became even richer and went through him in a rush. He never knew a woman could be so soft or smell so good. It made him at once hazy and yet strangely hyper-aware of every sound and every move she made. He felt completely enveloped by her.

As the kiss lingered, they lost all concept of time and space. Sesshoumaru took things slowly, not wanting to rush her despite the heat radiating between them. Needless to say, when the petite young woman used her grip on his haori to pull him forward and deepened the kiss, his eyebrows raised in momentary surprise at her boldness, before slipping back down in amused contentment. He almost purred at the challenge she presented, infinitely pleased that the little woman could give as good as she got.

Smiling through their kisses, he decided it was time to stop before they got too carried away. His acute hearing had picked up the excited approach of their two wards as they came clamoring through the underbrush and he knew they would be back momentarily.

He pulled apart from her, noticing with no small about of satisfaction the slightly pouting and disoriented look on the miko's face when the kissing stopped. Clearly she had not wanted things to end quite so soon and she was dissatisfied with his abrupt cessation.

She looked languidly up into his eyes before blinking and bringing her hand up to her swollen lips. An expression of wide-eyed awe passed over her, as she slowly began to comprehend what had just happened between them.

As she stood there gawking, she was soon startled to attention by the excited squeals of Shippo and Rin as they ran towards their two favorite adults.

"Kagome, Kagome! Look what we found!"

Shippo grinned widely and held up a very fat, very disgruntled bullfrog for her inspection. The saggy creature gave a dispassionate croak, clearly not pleased with being put on display.

Kagome pressed her hands to her cheeks and smoothed her hair in an effort to collect herself. She could still feel how hot her face was.

Her voice cracked as she said "That's very nice, Shippo."

She coughed and valiantly tried to act natural.

_"Nope, I did not just make out with the Lord of the West. No siree Bob, not me!" _A nervous titter escaped her lips as she looked at the sky, the ground..anything but the taiyoukai standing next to her. 

Sesshoumaru's mouth quirked up at the corners at her behavior. Artifice was definitely not her strong suit.

Luckily for her, Shippo was too engrossed in his new pet to even notice that his mother-figure was acting strangely. Rin, on the other hand, smiled knowingly at the exchange between the two adults.

She skipped over to her lord's side and gently took his hand, pulling him down so she could talk to him. He quietly complied.

When he was at her level, she cupped a hand over his elvin ear and whispered happily so only he could hear.

"_Congratulations, Sesshoumaru-sama_."

His eyes widened in surprise before raising an elegant silver eyebrow in her direction. _Insightful little thing_.

He straightened and placed a fatherly hand on her head before she scampered off with Shippo to see how high their frog could jump.

Glancing over to the flustered miko, he smirked to see her still disassembling even though the children were long gone. He walked to her in graceful strides and took her hand, pulling her to his side. All her nervous action stilled as he placed a proprietary arm around her shoulder and held her close. Looking up, she saw that he carried an expression of contentment, if not a little smugness on his face.

Her eyebrow quirked up in exasperation.

"_Oh, he is going to be impossible to live with now_." She sighed. But, she supposed there was no use fighting it. He had her number and he had it good.

She soon felt all the lingering confusion and shyness drain from her as she rested her head against his shoulder and watched their children play.

After all, any questions she might have had about what had just happened, what would happen, or what it all meant had already been answered. They had been answered in his kiss.

**The End**

**Author's note: Thank you so much for reading. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. That being said, I appreciate constructive criticism (how else do we learn, ne?). I don't have a beta, so if you see and typos of inconsistencies let me know. ^^;; Anyhoo, thank you again and I hope you enjoyed it!**

**The End**


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